Consequences
by Jest'lyn Tal
Summary: Beck/Heather -- Bether? POV piece for Major Beck. Realities, consequences and the things we need to stay strong. Major Beck reflects back after the last episode. Some Spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

Standard Disclaimers: I own nothing. I simply enjoy Jericho, could not believe there were not already fan fictions on this pairing, and felt that the point of view should be explored.

**NOTE** There are slight updates to this since I posted last night. In my eagerness to pose, I missed some pretty bad typos.

He was the type of man who believed in black and white. Right and wrong.

He was also the type of man who, after several years in the army and the knowledge of what it felt like to take a life, was not naive enough to believe in the inherent goodness of people any more.

Not that there weren't good people, but good people had to earn that title. They built their morals strong while clawing and scraping to hold on to their beliefs in the faces of their trials. They put themselves out there no matter the consequences.

Good people were hard and hard to find.

He considered himself privileged to be trusted with the responsibility of protecting those good people. Kids. Grandfathers. New mothers with squalling two-year olds. He'd joined the army directly for this purpose. A lifetime of deeply held desires to act and to make the world a better place were finally able to be expressed through his service.

It was an honor and a duty he took seriously. He would not have traded it for anything even though it took him far from home at times and far from the woman he loved.

Lisa.

His wife.

They'd met when he was Sergeant, still beginning and still full of cocky confidence. He'd been certain then that he could right the wrongs if he just tried and the almost none of the shine had been knocked out of him. She had been a college student, pretty and bright.

She was like playful sunshine. She made him laugh. He made her feel safe.

She'd been a natural balance for his more serious nature and even though it had taken some time and patience to win her, his persistence had paid off in the end.

During the day? He did not miss that balance. He had a command to run. The sun shined but it was never an inducement to play and there was no laughter to be had. Not here. Not now.

He had men to lead and he had two towns to both protect and guide.

Jericho and New Bern.

If he was ruthlessly honest with himself, and he usually was, he had to admit that he was slightly fonder of Jericho. The people had been battered and bruised but they'd still hung on to both their pride and their identities. He had to admire that.

New Bern, on the other hand, had sold their souls. If Jericho was the lost dog who still remembered a master's touch, New Bern was the street mongrel that would bite any hand, even one trying to feed.

When that hand was his or those of the men who counted on him? He started to take that a little personally.

The twin towns kept him up through the night at times with the amount of work and worry they caused him. So he had more than enough on his mind to keep him from dwelling on his family.

About how his wife had been in Sante Fe.

And how he hadn't heard from her since the bombs went off.

And how he'd missed his daughter's birthday. Again.

It was a pattern. One that any army brat knew and that every army father worth the title regretted. He'd promised her this year. There'd been so much time away but it was going to be different this time. He'd sworn to her.

There was no gray in that. It was black and white.

He'd promised.

He hadn't been there.

That made him a liar, even if by accident.

So, no. Most days he didn't think about Lisa or their daughter.

He had to keep moving, keep functioning. So he took their marriage and the memory of their love, both things that had always kept him strong, and made them his foundation.

They became the rock that he stood on as he set his back to the wall, his resolve in motion, and forced back order for his country with only a handful men and will.

As the months rolled on, refusing to dwell on his wife specifically though became habit.

That made it hard to tell exactly when it became the thought of blue eyes instead of brown that he took warmth from when that hollowed out feeling to his soul became too much to handle.

It made it even harder to identify when relying on someone for their insight and opinion became relying on them for their spirit and friendship.

Heather Lisinski had told him that she didn't know if she could keep defending him and for the first time in long time Edward Beck was drawn up short by the thought that some else thought his actions to be a poor representation of his character.

Heather Lisinski had accused him of being blind and for the first time in a long time Edward Beck reeled with pain as someone he'd come to trust without question betrayed him.

She'd seen that in his face. In response, those blue eyes of hers had begged him to still trust her, reached out to invoke all the things that their relationship was and asked him to understand even as she tried to provide some measure of comfort.

She still believed he was a good man.

The hell of it was, that he still believed she was a good woman. But he couldn't listen to her anymore without hearing the echo of her actions, no matter what her justification.

Major Beck was a man who believed that good people accepted the consequences of their actions. No matter who they were.

No matter how it hurt.

Heather Lisinski came back to sit with him while he waited to hear what his men would decide. She gave him the gift of her support and warmth without question or reproach, even after he'd thrown her in jail.

Right and wrong. Black and white. Things were or they weren't.

He wouldn't lie to himself.

Lisa was his wife. Her memory had kept him strong enough to keep moving. He was not willing to let that go.

But Heather was his help. She'd become the compass to his moving forward.

And he'd already let her make him smile again.


	2. Chapter 2

When Heather was young her mother, sick and pale, told her to never lose her compassion. Her mother was crying when she said this. Heather didn't really understand why. So, she had started to sing in the hopes that her mother would like it and maybe feel better.

When Heather was a little older, her father had held her while she cried, snuffling all over his suit and her own crisp white shirt. It was right after service and the last parishioner had already thanked her father for the sermon and left. Heather had come in from the youth loft and flung herself on the couch in his office. He'd told her as long as she did what was right, he'd be proud of her and God would be proud of her. It didn't matter what the other kids said or did. She didn't answer to them. She was his daughter. No matter what else happened, even no matter what she did, she'd always be that. She was loved and that would never change.

When Heather was in High School her teacher, Mrs. Williams, told her to never hide her intelligence. She'd noticed how Heather had stopped raising her hand in class recently and had made some guesses about why. She agreed that, perhaps, there was a time and place to display her knowledge and that modesty was never a bad thing. However, having a mind that was both inquisitive enough to seek out understanding and sharp enough to actually acquire it was nothing to be ashamed of.

Compassion, confidence and integrity. They were woven into the weft of who she was. It wasn't as if she consciously tried to make them an integral part of herself but as she'd never really become popular with those who were her own age there'd been few honey-flavored challenges to draw her away from them. And she was stubborn enough to not respond to the stick form of peer pressure.

However, everything had its price.

The jail wasn't cold. It wasn't smelly and it wasn't dark. She was, even incarcerated, better provided for than a great deal of the people out there and she should be grateful for it.

They'd even fed her. Not that she had a stomach to eat right now.

Guilt and anxiety had a habit of doing that to her.

It wasn't even as if she could pinpoint the causes and have some vindication. Unlike Russell, she could not point the finger at Major Beck and paint the man as the bad guy in the situation, while stomping her feet.

Sometimes she thought people forgot what it was like before. How heavy the fear had been and how people had been afraid to go even a mile outside the city limit. Of course there were still problems. Of course the military made things stricter than they had been before the bombs had fallen. But could they really do anything else? Not that these matters gave the military a free pass to abuse people or the town, but she'd seen the things that Major Beck had done before going through with a decision to act. The man was doing his best to be fair and to keep people safe.

Russell didn't see it that way. And apparently, he felt things were bad enough that he was working with Constantino to change them.

The rational part of her mind had first wondered what Major Beck had enacted that was so horrible. Military courts, curfews, check points. So? What had they expected? New Bern had been running a munitions factory to take over a neighboring town. They had imprisoned her.

They had hurt her.

The irrational part of her had cringed away from that thought, surging up anger that said that New Bern deserved whatever it got.

In the cell, she wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin down, expression falling.

She'd told Russell she wouldn't stop helping Major Beck and, in the end, that was something she could actually be proud of. She'd stilled herself, thought about the individuals in New Bern instead of Constantino and his thugs, and she'd been able to worry about that town again. She didn't let herself become vindictive. She didn't deny her help to Russell because of her anger.

She'd done it because she believed that Major Beck was doing the right thing and she was not going to let anyone, any threat, keep her from standing right by his side assisting any way she could.

In fact? She'd go through quite a bit to remain by his side helping.

She would even stay working with him after stealing that page out of the radiation report, when common sense said that she should have left, hidden out with the Rangers just in case.

No. She just hadn't been able to bring herself to leave. Partially because, practically, staying meant she was in the place to do the most good for everyone. Major Beck included. Partially because...

Because...

So now she was here. Locked up on his order.

It was warm. It wasn't silent. She was not beaten or abused.

Still, she felt as lonely and almost as hopeless as she had when she'd been locked up in New Bern, waiting for Jake to come for her. He never did come. Not for her anyway.

Jake didn't love her.

She knew that and she'd had plenty of time to accept it.

Heather had started to feel a bit mortified about that kiss she'd given him but her strong practical side had kicked in. She kissed him. She'd let him know how she felt and there was nothing wrong with that.

There was also nothing wrong in that he didn't feel the same back even if it had hurt. She wasn't going to try and be an Emily clone to change his mind. Heaven knew she wouldn't have done a very good job.

She'd make a half-rate and poor Emily. But she made a first-rate, bang-up Heather and she'd keep going on with that.

Jake Green wasn't going to come charging in to save her this time. Just like he hadn't last time.

The truth was, though, that it wasn't really him that she wanted to see coming through that door anyway.

She'd hurt him.

She felt ashamed, even knowing that she'd done the right thing.

With the best of reasons, the best of intentions, she had hurt Beck and she couldn't get that look on his face out of her mind. Anger mixed with indignation, mixed with shock.

That was actually the worst of it. She wasn't a hero. She was afraid to die, she was afraid to be locked up. The fear for those things, though, had been conquered though. Worked through. Accepted.

That she'd lost Beck's trust? His friendship? That dry sense of humor? That...everything?

That made her sick to her stomach.

So she watched the door, even knowing that the chances were slim to none that he'd walk through to free her or even to just speak to her again.

He never did, either.

The door was unlocked and it was explained to her by a Corporal Simmons that she was free. He'd started to escort her out to the street before her mind kicked into gear.

"Where is Major Beck?" she asked, searching the man's face for the answer.

"Back in the office, ma'am," the response was polite.

"That's where I'm going," Heather had turned, stride crisp, shoulders squared, and heaven help anyone who got in her way.

Major Edward Beck hadn't come to save her.

That didn't mean that she couldn't find out what the hell was going on and maybe go to save him.

* * *

JJ Rust - Thanks for the feedback! I knew I'd placed the story up a little quick and even did a rough re-posting to get rid of the worst of the worst mistakes. I always have a harder time keeping things perfect when I'm writing more of a character piece. :) Please feel free to point out the specific flubs should you wish - I won't be offended.

As for the rank? I hollared over to my Navy husband to ask what sort of rank could lead to Major ;). Either he misunderstood or he was being silly with me. I'll go thwap him later. Since it soudns like it /could/ happen, I'll probably let it slide. But I appreciate the heads up as to why it isn't really standard.

Thanks for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it!

Morgan - I'm glad that I didn't disappoint! I'm also glad that the characterization rang true. I didn't want to paint him as perfect, he has his flaws, but I also didn't want to make the mistake of either softening him too much or making him too hard. I also didn't feel he had forgotten his wife even if Heather and he had this mad chemistry. Thanks again for taking the time to review :) Hope Heather's section suits.

agent1332 - Ummm. Goes? breaks into a sweat Oh! Yeah! Goes. Note to self - must find plot ASAP! grins Thanks for the review!

MikeSkinnerlover - Hope the update suits! Very glad you liked it - thanks for the time you took to review. Helped encourage me to get moving on the update :)

Val - I'm glad you liked it. I hope that there will be more Heck! (I like that :) ) stories out there soon too :) Thanks for taking the time to review :) I'll do my best to keep going for ya.

SandraDeee - Thank you very much. I was worried about being too subtle with Heather in this - but the fact is that the way the two interact is subtle. I'm glad I could capture that for you. Thanks! grins And yeah - I know I responded to you already. But! Couldn't not respond again here ;)

greanvine - I know I responded to you already but did want to make sure you knew how much your review helped spur me on to write more. Hope this next section lives up as well :) Thanks!

ottergreen - Your wish? My command :) Hope you like it! Thanks again for taking the time to review :)


	3. Chapter 3

Standard Disclaimers Apply - I own nothing of these characters but my take on the relationship - and even that I believe is shared by quite a few fans.

* * *

The sun was bright and though the chill of late spring was still loitering in the air, the promise of warm summer days was tangible. Heather looked up from her sweeping to scan the blue sky and smiled.

Smiling now might have seemed an odd thing. Gray Anderson had returned and the man's quieted reserve had spoken volumes about what he'd seen in the changes of the town, not to mention what it said about what he had found in Cheyenne.

The sun may be shining but the problems were just beginning.

Some of the information Heather was getting late, of course. As she took her broom to attack the west sidewalk of Main Street, she went over her conversation with Gray in her head. She hadn't known that Jake was going to Cheyenne. Then again, like most of the town she'd had no idea where the Rangers and Emily were hiding. That Jake had left was initially surprising. Then she realized that if what Jake and Hawkins had told her was true, something was going to have to give at some point. The truth had to be known and it wasn't going to get known without Texas getting proof somehow.

There hadn't been word yet about what had happened to either Jake or Hawkins yet.

Major Beck's command was still delaying in giving official word on his status, something that she could tell was weighing on the man. He was not exactly snappish, but his orders to the men had an edge to them. No matter how one looked at it, time was running out for a town that very shortly could be categorized as island in the middle of enemy territory. The soldiers had nearly doubled their efforts on patrols and preventative measures and sleep was something of the past.

Heather had been up late as well. Part of it was earnest desire to help, of course. She'd grabbed a few hours sleep on one of the office couches and planned to jump back into matters when the morning came. Unfortunately, Major Beck had caught on to this plan and promptly ordered her out of the building. They'd argued. No, argued was a strong term. It was more an exchange of irritation. Eventually he'd compromised and said that she could return that evening to go over the plans for meeting up with New Bern on the next day. But after that meeting, he expected her to go home and sleep, and before that meeting he expected her to relax.

She was honest enough that she was sweeping the street now not only because it needed to be done, she was too tense to go home and 'relax' but also, regrettably, to thumb her nose a little at the Major.

She'd already seen him walk by the window in his office twice.

She was tired though. And if she was going to be doing something, the logical part of her mind said that she should be preparing for that meeting with New Bern. Reading up on the latest reports, finding out what the last patrols had said.

Instead she swept. Before the bristles of her slightly worn but still enthusiastic broom the debris accumulated by the hasty evacuation was contained. Constrained. Urged off and bid adieu to. The symbolism soothed her.

The sound of a car door shutting and footsteps made her sharply look up. Emily's blonde hair and determination both shone on her fine featured face. Heather straightened, "Emily!" She called.

Emily turned to look at her, eyes widening. "Heather!"

"How are you? Are you okay?" Heather wasted no time crossing the distance to study her friend's face. The two women paused awkwardly before they reached forward for a quick hug.

"I'm fine. We're all fine. God," Emily stepped back. "How are you? It's been a while."

"I'm good. Really," Heather was nodding. "Have you heard anything from Jake?"

Emily shifted her weight to the side mouth parting slightly before finding the words. "No. No, I haven't. But Jake said that it might take them a while to... do whatever they needed to do, so..."

Heather's eyes widened slightly. Did Emily not know? Or was Emily hedging from telling her? "Oh. Well. Yeah."

Emily's smile was strained, "I'm sure they're fine, Heather. Jake can take care of himself."

In retrospect, it could have been the lack of sleep and general stress that made Heather hear condescension in that reassurance. Her eyes narrowed just a little, "I know he can. As can Mr. Hawkins, I'm sure. Between the two of them? They'll have matters in Cheyenne settled and be back here just in time to help coordinate the town."

The confidence in her tone made Emily look at her again. "Hey, do you have a minute? I was just going to try to get some coffee at Mary's."

Heather smiled and nodded, "Sure."

The conversation was like triathlon that kept switching methods. Where their friendship could not pull them over the pauses, they switched to false cheer. Where cheer could not smooth the bumps, they pulled in joking and gossip. Life had drawn them apart of late and finding their grounding together was a delicate thing. Emily moved them quickly past anything that spoke of Roger and Heather breezed them quickly by anything about New Bern.

Jake, however, was a subject that couldn't be avoided.

"He looked horrible when we got him out," Emily's hands were wrapped around her coffee mug, lips thinned. "Exhausted. But? You know Jake."

Heather smiled a little, "Yeah. I do." She waited until Emily met her eyes, "He will be okay, you know."

Emily nodded. "I know." She weighed her next words and voiced them the only way that she could, "Heather? I'm sorry."

There was only one thing that Emily was likely to be sorry about right now. Well, two things. But the fade in their friendship wasn't entirely the blonde's fault so Heather was going to assume she meant the other. She reached out a hand across the table, "Don't be. It's okay. Jake and I are friends and that's how it is meant to be."

Emily's smile took a moment to fully form, but when it did it was with less tension that it had typically had. "That's all we are too, but..."

"But?" Heather's tone was playful.

Emily laughed and rolled her eyes a little, "We'll see." She said and left little doubt that she did, indeed, intend to see despite her wariness over repeating past mistakes. Come hell or high water. She studied Heather for a moment, "You look tired."

Heather sagged back in her chair, "I am. But, it's the good kind. The Major is pulling in all the resources he can but we've only got so many people."

"You've got the Rangers too," Emily pointed out.

Heather blinked and leaned forward. "Do you think they'd help?" This was another subject they'd avoided. The Major's efforts to find the Rangers and those days spent in hiding.

"Jericho is our home," Emily continued, something hardening in her eyes. "We've defended it before and if it comes to defending it again, we're more than ready to do that."

Heather began to chew on her lower lip. "That could work," she murmured. "We could get the Rangers in. Maybe get more volunteers from the town. The Major would need to make some sort of speech to tell everyone what was going on, but... it could work." She moved to stand up, "I've got to go. Emily? Can you get in touch with Eric? They should talk first."

Emily stood up as well. "Today?"

"Today."

* * *

"We've got extra guards on the bridges," Beck pointed on the map. "Though that will give us nothing if they start an aerial assault."

"A few weeks ago I'd of said that they'd never go that far," Gray muttered, "But now. We've got two bomb shelters in town but only one is working right now. Besides, they didn't fit the whole town anyway."

"I heard that you had sent some people up to the salt mines?" Beck glanced to the Mayor.

Sobriety and a certain grim realization had stripped the last of frightened indecision from Gray's features. It had taken Cheyenne for Gray Anderson to prove himself, not to others, but to himself. The confidence grounded him quite well. "We did. Though I can't speak for how the mines would hold out if hit by a bunker buster from above."

Beck inhaled deeply. "No. It's a safe place but it's also a highly visible one." He straightened. "It's also a resource. The only source of salt for the area. Jennings and Rall are not in the business of destroying valuable assets without trying other options first."

Gray nodded, "Speaking of resources, I hadn't asked. Where are most of your men staying?" He gave a half-laugh, "Surely you aren't all out in tents?"

Beck gave a little nod, "Most are. The weather is well enough and we're used to it."

Gray frowned, "Well, there's no reason for that. We've got plenty of room. There aren't too many whole houses still open but I'm sure there are several families that would be more than happy to take you and your men in."

"That's a generous offer. But, at least while the weather holds, this is probably for the best. The men will be out all hours on the patrol and sitting down to a family breakfast isn't likely to do them any good."

"Are you sure about that?" Gray wasn't convinced.

Beck did appreciate the concern, but he was unwavering. "The men need to focus on the jobs to be done right now. Not the family life they've left behind."

Gray looked at him now, sensing something in that statement that pricked curiosity or perhaps considering something that hadn't occurred to him, "Do you have family waiting for you back at home, Major?"

Beck looked back at the map, "I don't know."

"I'm sorry," Gray said, startled but sincere.

"Thank you," Beck looked up, tone business like again, "I can spare a couple men to help fix up the second bomb shelter. I'd like to plan for evacuations just in case. Is there a city plan that we can start from?"

"Yes. We've been trying to update it, just in case." Gray nods. "I can have it sent over."

"We have to count on the supplies stopping as well," Beck said, "I've already got some men siphoning off what we've got that can be legitimately called extra. I'll need you to start going over the rationing numbers based on what we can expect for the harvest and what was needed last winter."

Gray scratched his nose, "At least we have a little more time this time around."

"You'll also have more people to feed," Beck said and seemed to expect Gray's questioning look, "New Bern."

"Wait a minute. You want us to feed them too? We barely made it through on our own last year," Gray was incredulous. "Not to mention the fact that we all know what they planned for us."

"That was last year," Beck repeated firmly. "You are going to have more time. More supplies to start with this time. Jericho provides the food. New Bern provides the arms. We'll need both to survive."

Gray struggled for a moment but nodded, "I'll need to meet with their people to. Find out what we're dealing with."

The Major moved out from behind the map table, angling to start walking Gray to the door. "I've got a meeting there tomorrow. Test things out. See where we are. I'll get you the information you need or get you in touch with the people who can give it."

"Okay, then," Gray accepted. He stuck out his hand for Beck to shake and found himself pausing. "I can make inquiries, you know. About your family."

"Already been done," Beck said. "There are other priorities for Jennings and Rall right now. And I don't think that they're likely to still be helpful."

"I know," Gray said, "But I have some other connections back in Cheyenne. I can't guarantee anything but there's been a lot of progress that just hasn't been made public yet." He paused, "What are their names?"

The silence hung in the air for a moment, the precipice of hope, faith and chance balanced upon.

"... Lisa," the Major said finally. "Lisa Beck and Jenna Beck."

"I'll do what I can."

* * *

Lady Chal – Thank you! I'm going to try to write more though, traditionally, character shots tend to be my forte. I hope to be able to keep up the subtleties the show began! I agree about the depth and power that never needed outright stating for us to pick up on. Thanks for taking the time to review.

Ellennar – Doing my best to do so – and partially because of feedback like yours :) Thanks for the feedback and encouragement.

Whataphreek – Hope the chapter lived up to expectation! Thanks for taking the time to give the feedback as it encouraged me greatly to keep going. It's appreciated.

Val – Hero moment for Beck. On the agenda now ;) Thanks for reviewing and thanks for letting me know the POV worked. I figured she wouldn't be too depressed, but even her spirits have had some challenges lately :)

Agent1332 – Thanks! I actually thought that how she would have handled that time was something that would be very telling about her personality too. I'm glad that it worked for you. Thanks for the feedback – really appreciate it and the time you took to give it. I don't want to get the Jake/Heather people mad at me – cause I did used to like that pairing. But – Beck/Heather just seems so right to me! And it is a meeting of Beck being a strong actiony type fellow but with his feet very firmly grounded – as I think Heathers are. Anyway…!

Josu – Thanks! I didn't want to go too deep and risk being utterly wrong on some cannon – but I thought something needed to be said for the piece. Glad I got it right. Thanks for giving the feedback!

SandraDeee – Thank you! I was worried I'd not be able to carry forward or that some of Heather's past wouldn't ring true. I believe Heather was written, in the show, to be very relatable to most of us. I wanted to show both her strength and how she's undergone trials and still remained hopeful. Thank you for letting me know it worked for you. I rather liked that line myself! In my opinion she's strong enough to believe that she should be loved – but loved for who she is and not her acting skills! Would that we all had that confidence ;)

Kelsrealm – I've got more coming for you – hopefully. Glad I could satisify some of the Heather/Beck cravings out there. To me, the two just seem to meet on so many wavelengths (sheer chemistry not the least) and I wanted to try and show that. Thanks for letting me know I got that about right. Thanks for reviewing!

Greanvine – Thanks! Definitely love hearing the feedback. I was going off some of the things noted in the wiki about what they almost put into the series but didn't. Glad I was able to make sure that it rang true for her character. In some ways it was easier to write her part – but in some ways a bit more difficult. I don't think she's the type to dwell on the negative in her own life, so finding the line between explaining what she felt the way she did and showing that her nature is to move beyond it was a challenge. Thanks again for the review and the feedback and the additional direction you've given!


	4. Chapter 4

Standard Disclaimers:

I don't own them or make money off of them!

This is a tiny chapter, guys, but it is forward movement! I promise the next will be longer… if I can only find my plot notes!

* * *

"Major!" Heather was smiling as she walked into the office. He glanced up at her but only briefly. Though Gray had left easily twenty minutes ago, he still did not feel like facing other people's smiles right now. The fact that it was Heather's only made him feel more uncomfortable.

But that wasn't fair. To either her or himself. He exhaled and leaned back in his chair. "Didn't I tell you to get some rest?"

She was undaunted, "You did. I will. But I just got done talking with Emily and if you'd meet with the Rangers today? They can be added to the patrols again." He wasn't answering, so she stepped forward and pressed on, "That could free up at least four men to go to the factory."

He paused a beat, "Good work. Did she have any more from Jake or Hawkins?"

Heather shook her head, "No. She's getting worried."

There was a part of him that hated how he watched her while she said that. The shift of her weight, the flex of fingers and tilt of her head. Even more than that, the edges of her expressive mouth, the blink of eyelids as an emphasis point to words.

He returned to his papers again. He nodded, accepting her words as the truth. "Bring them here then, at six fifteen. I can spare a few minutes, then."

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No," Beck stood up, "Was there anything else, Ms. Lisinski?"

Her eyes were wide now, cautious. She kept her tone friendly though, "No, not really. I'll go get you something from Mary, then."

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry." It had all the politeness of a locked door. "Go tell Ms. Sullivan about the meeting and get some sleep."

"Wanting to get rid of me that easily?" Heather's voice was cheerful, chin raised in a smile that no longer reached her eyes.

Beck sighed and set his hands down on the desk for a moment. "This isn't a ..." He began and then looked at her. Actually looked at her.

His jaw tightened and worked for a moment. "We're all tired, Heather." He said, quieter. "But this? This is just preparing and coordination. Things every soldier can do in his sleep. But I count on you to see the nuances in your town that I can't, and for that you need to get some sleep. What are you trying to prove?"

"I'm not trying to prove anything," Heather said.

Dark eyes pinned her, piercing, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Heather repeated, though there was something uncertain in her expression at his regard. Feeling defensive, she demanded, "What would I be trying to prove?"

"I don't know. That you can be trusted? That you deserve to be here? That I shouldn't be suspicious of you or your intentions?"

Heather was drawn up short. She licked her lips and spoke, tone calm and dignified, "I'm helping because someone needs to. Because we both want this town safe. I'm not doing it to make myself appear better in your eyes."

Beck just stared at her for a moment before he relented and let his gaze fall back down to his paperwork. "Of course. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," she hesitated. "I guess I'll go get you something to eat, then?"

A ghost of a smile crossed Beck's lips. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Nope."

Beck nodded in resignation. "Alright. But after that..."

"After that, I'll go rest," Heather finished. She backed up several steps, watching him as he reached for another report. The little voice in the back of her head was telling her to just keep quiet and for once just let it all be. This was the time point where she should just walk out. Now.

She seldom listened to that voice. "Major?"

Beck looked up, "Yes?"

"Do I need to prove anything?" Heather spoke, resisting the urge to hunch her shoulders as if protecting herself from the possible answers. She looked at Beck, though, and the vulnerability of her expression was not so easily resisted.

Please. Please don't let him say yes. He had a right to say yes. He had every right to say yes. He was going to say yes and he'd be right. But, oh, the thought that he didn't trust her any more hurt...

Beck was slightly gruff. That was all. "No, Ms. Lisinski. Not to me."

They looked at each other for what seemed to be a very long time.

* * *

Roz – Thank you for taking the time to review! I'm glad you are enjoying the story!

Nativefloridian – Will do! Though – admittedly, sometimes with slow updates. winces

JJ Rust – I like Gray! Glad that you feel I kept him with the Season 2 growth Thanks for taking the time to review!

Val – I know this is a shorter chapter, but here is hoping you can forgive me. And – though Heather cooking for him didn't quite fit in… WAIT – The bar can be closed. Perfect… ;)

Lady Taevyn – I am going to check out virtualjericho – thank you for telling me about it. I'm very flattered that you like the story! Thank you for taking the time to write.

Sexy bookworm – I'm glad that Heather's actions rang true to you. She seems, to me, to be one of those folks who must be doing something active to help. Thanks for taking the time to review!

Agent1332 – I've had a hard time always liking Emily. However? She is a solid character who I think has her own way of stepping up. I'm glad that her assumption of the role, without even really thinking about it, worked. Thank you! As for command and Beck's role? I figure that things are fairly chaotic at the moment – as Jake and Hawkins have probably made it to Texas and that higher-up fellow has been shot. But, rest assured – the response is coming…

Wataphreek- Anything I can do to help with the withdrawls! Thank you for the praise.

Josu – My sister is named Jena. I've always been jealous ;) Glad you are liking it!

Greanvine – Thanks for taking the time to review and (yes, even months later) give me warm fuzzies about the story being good enough to deserve continuing. I'll do my best and promise the next chapter will be longer. There is the relationship with Bonnie and Mimi – but it doesn't quite do the female bonding thing the way that Emily and Heather might have. I'll grant you that. Hope I can keep giving them some 'screen time'. Thanks again!


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